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Dwarves
Dwarves are short, stout descendants of the First Kin, common in the mountains of Kerectus. They are known for their toughness and craftsmanship. History Creation After Maia created the First Kin, she created the mountains. But the mountains were cold and lonely, so she gave them hearts, warm and strong. The hearts grew veins of ore, the life of the mountains. To tend the hearts, Maia took the old kin and bound them to the veins. The Dwarves were one of the last races to become involved in the war, but also one of the most influential. Upon descending from their mountain abodes in Kaldar, the Dwarves aligned with their long-time trading partners the Feline. Quickly spreading out, the Dwarves became a tide of death and fury, their impenetrable armour and deadly weapons tearing through the first thing they came across; The Elves. Their first true enemy, the Elves put up a valiant fight, but their magic and nimbleness couldn't withstand the might of the Red Tide. They quickly built robotic warriors; the Warforged, as a tool for their battles. It was then the Elves unleashed their secret weapon, their solution to the Red Tide; the Green Swarm, the Orc hordes. The Orc's pushed back the Dwarves, forcing them out of Elven territory. But the Orc's were not controllable; the went on a rampage, massacring everything, including the Elves. Far out from home, and with no place to run, the Red Tide made a final stand against the Green Swarm. When the bloody mist cleared, the Dwarves remained, the Orcs having retreated to whatever lands they could take. Having established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, the Dwarves began their march again, throwing themselves against every enemy they faced, until the Warforged finally appeared to halt them. The Dwarves were the first to sign the peace treaty, and provided much of their conquered lands to the races that had suffered greater than they, leaving themselves with very little other than their treasured mountains and homelands. First Era It was at this time that the great archangel Michael left the heavens and led the dwarf Marvin to the great metal fields of Arennia, where the Dwarves built their capital on the richest source of ores in the world. With their new-found wealth, the Dwarves had begun to prosper, when the Elves broke the peace treaty and waged a private war against the Dwarves, angered by their disregard for nature. A long and bloody war ensued, that quickly escalated when the Elves managed to take the Dwarves by surprise and launch a full assault on Arrenia. The war ended when the Dwarves sunk the Elvish isle of Illia (a largely populated Island that was also considered holy) beneath the ocean with an excessively large amount of explosives. The Dwarves of Arennia spent the next 50 years crafting the prize of their civilisation: the great underground castle of Arennia and it's prize jewel; the heart of the mountain. Larger than many cities of other civilisations, Arennia's castle was a symbol of wealth and power, a massive tower rising above the skyline, but also an underground segment that stretched right into the depths of the world. Second Era Having established themselves as a force to be reckoned with, the Dwarves built up their empires of stone and created a massive trade empire, selling not only their ores, but also their great works of steel to other nations, solidifying their position as the main producer of metal-works. However, the Elves were concerned by the Dwarves consumption of wood as a fuel source and building material. Despite the results of the previous war, the Elves were certain that they could at least pacify the Dwarves with their Dragon riders. The second Elvakhin/Dwarf war was vastly shorter than the previous one, lasting only four months. The Elves began the war with an open assault on the outer Dwarven colonies, while also sending Dragon riders to destroy the castle of Arennia. Though the dwarves were able to react quickly, they had very little air defence, and the surface of Arennia was scorched, killing thousands. The Dwarves reacted with an all out siege on the Elven capital, firing a single shell loaded with corrosive materials at the Yggdrassil. The poison almost succeeded in killing the Yggdrassil before the U.R.C cut in, threatening to destroy both sides if they did not desist. The Dwarves continued to argue and confer with the Elves, as the Dwarves were born to cultivate mountains, whereas the Elves were to worship life. The first time the two races worked together was during the rise of Shadowscythe. Many Elves succumbed to the dark power of Shadowscythe, joining his mad armada. While Shadowscythe cut a path through the world on his way to the gates of hell, the Dwarves sought out and destroyed all of Shadowscythe's spies in the Elves territory. The two races then joined their armies and united with the other races to halt Shadowscythe's army, destroying his body and burying his soul beneath Aerth in a chamber of stone. Third Era At the beginning of the Third Era, the Dwarves prospered. Their various mining colonies gave them control of mineral and ore trade, and it was the Dwarves who gave birth to many of the worlds greatest inventors, creating devices such as the first rifle, and the first mana-based explosive. The Dwarves were one of the richest races in the land. But their hatred for the Elves had not dissipated; though they had rebuilt castle Arennia, the people demanded justice. This time, both the Elves and the Dwarves were aware of each-others tricks. The war lasted fives years before anybody was able to quell them. It was at this time that the inventor Vandheim No-son founded Vandheim, with their grand creation the THOR ordinance system; a warship with two powerful mortars which could fire fearsome shells filled with 2000 litres of burning oil. This weapon devastated the coastal and island towns of the Elves, but they soon retaliated with a secret weapon of their own: the great golem Elishua, a wise being born from stone and clad in the tough bark of Yggdrasil. Unaffected by the THOR shells, Elishua marched on Dwarven land. While the Dwarves rushed to create a more powerful THOR and the Elves more golems, it was the unlikely aid of the Forsaken that slowed the conflict enough for other races to intervene. Though weakened and low in numbers, the Forsaken were still able to hold both armies in a deadlock until the full might of the U.R.C once again pacified the two races. As a sign of peace, the Dwarves gave the Elves a THOR and received Gamaliel, one of Elishua's successors. Fourth Era At the turn of the fourth era, the Elves and Dwarves pooled their resources to create the shining city of Evahnim, combining Dwarven craftsmanship, defence, and architecture with Elven beauty and utility, it is one the most beautiful and powerful cities in the world. Dwarven profits also saw yet another boost as Halfling's began requesting large amounts of precious gems for them to craft with. The Dwarves had finally settled relations with their main enemy, thus enabling them an era of peace. The Dwarves also merged several of the remaining clans, creating the seven that exist today, and removing much of the division within Dwarven society. Biology Sharing a common ancestor, the Dwarves closely resemble both Halflings and Humans. They share a similar height average to Halflings, with most growing to be about 4"5. It is very rare for a dwarf to grow in height past the age of 17. Young Dwarves are rather slender, but once a Dwarf reaches the age of 14 they put on large amounts of weight (and, for males, facial hair), with males averaging at about 115 kg, and females being anywhere from 95 kg to 130 kg. The average lifespan of a Dwarf is drastically shorter than their cousins, being only about 50 years, though females and non-alcoholics may live up to 70 years in rare circumstances. Other notable features of Dwarves include their thick skin, which is impervious to weak blades (such as those constructed by an average Human smithy), incredibly large stomachs (almost four times as large as a humans) and strong livers/circulatory system, making them resistant to poisons and alcohol. Society Dwarves tend to live in caves, mountains and tunnels, with smaller above ground abodes to mark their settlements. They utilise simple, but practical architecture, with the majority of their extravagance being shown through carvings and gemstones. Their choice of abode gives them the perfect defence; ambushing a Dwarven citadel head-on is comparable to a human dueling a pack of Dire wolfs with no weapons, in an open field, while stark naked. Dwarven armies account for almost a quarter of the population, but all Dwarves are skilled combatants who will rally to arms if the High King's horn is blown. Magic users are rare, it is much more likely to see warriors or engineers. They are also rather fond of artillery. The Dwarves capital, Arennia, is home to hundreds of thousands of Dwarves. It is the absolute home of the Dwarves, with each of the Dwarves six lesser capitals providing a different value to the Dwarves (mining, technology, trade etc.) Each capital (including Arennia) is ruled by one of the seven great clans (initially, there were nearly 30 great clans). The seven clans are: * Clan Rialoir rules Arennia * Clan Drugain rules Isilin, a military city * Clan Eanna rules Udin, a coastal city, where most of the Dwarven goods are exported. * Clan Duach rules Orramid, the largest mining city (Arennia aside) * Clan Luascan rules Midin, a city famed for it's inventors. * Clan Deaghaidh rules Burand, the smallest Dwarven city, known for it's scholars. * Clan Berchon rules Kiidr, The Iron City, floating in the ocean is produces large amounts of seafood. The head of clan Rialoir is the High King. With other great clan leaders, he makes all decisions affecting the Dwarven kingdoms, though he determines the final result. All the other clan leaders (not just the great clan leaders) have sworn oaths to the high king, and are honour-bound to answer if he blows the war-horn. Though the position of High King could be given to the leader of any other of the clans, it has stayed within clan Rialoir for nearly two Eras. Dwarves value bloodlines. The leader of each clan (Patriarch and/or Matriarch) has the final say in all matters affecting the clan, and are honour-bound to the High-King. Even in modern times, to marry one's daughter a dowry must be payed. The more powerful & respected the bride's clan is, the higher the dowry. This is to compensate for the potential loss of successors. To keep bloodlines going, inbreeding is not unheard of (or frowned upon), though it is uncommon, especially in middle-class clans. The main careers of Dwarves are as warriors, miners or blacksmiths, at all of which they are naturally incredibly skilled, though (especially in Kiidr) it is common to find fishermen. Dwarves are known for creating the greatest metal-works of all time. Their creations are simple, yet impeccably fine works. Attributes *Thick Skin: Dwarves have thick skin which is harder to pierce then that of Humans. *Cavernous Stomach: Dwarves can digest almost anything, including most poisons, without harm. **Tolerance: Dwarves have a natural immunity to intoxication and can thus drink incredibly strong brews that would kill an average human. * Heavyweight: Dwarves are small, although incredibly stout and heavy. **Enhanced Strength: Dwarves have enchanced strength, able to overpower most foes. **Stout: Dwarves are small in size. Noteworthy Members *None Trivia *None Category:Races Category:U.R.C